Brewers place setup man Kintzler on DL

The Brewers bullpen might get a bit taxed in coming days, as right-hander Brandon Kintzler is headed to the disabled list.

Coming off a breakout season in which he had a 2.69 ERA in 71 relief appearances, Brandon Kintzler entered the season as Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke's primary eighth-inning option.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

By Andrew GrumanFOX Sports Wisconsin
Apr 12, 2014 at 11:43p ET

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MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday placed right-hander Brandon Kintzler on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 9 with a mild strained right rotator cuff.

Right-hander Rob Wooten will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to join Milwaukee's bullpen for Sunday's series finale against Pittsburgh.

Kintzler, who has allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings this season, said he thinks the injury occurred right at the end of spring training. He described the affected area as right under the armpit and around the lat muscle.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Kintzler would still be pitching if it were late in the season with something on the line, and the Brewers setup man agreed.

"I've been kind of battling through it the last two weeks," Kintzler said. "It just got to a point where I got tired of battling it. It's a long season; it'll be a quick fix. I was able to loosen it up game time . . . but playing catch during the day just wasn't really good.

"I got tired of grinding through it every day trying to get ready for a game in April. Obviously, I want to join the party, but hopefully I'll be back for a bigger party."

It was hard to notice Kintzler was injured because of how well he was throwing the ball to start the year. He pitched 3 2/3 innings late on Milwaukee's recent 6-0 road trip and showed no signs of anything being wrong.

Coming off a breakout season in which he had a 2.69 ERA in 71 relief appearances, Kintzler entered the season as Roenicke's primary eighth-inning option. "When adrenaline takes over, I don't feel it," Kintzler said. "It's just a matter of getting over the cold and getting to the point of getting to that point."

Kintzler last pitched on April 8 and hasn't been available since, leaving the Brewers down a man in their bullpen over the last four games. He feels the strain has already improved in the four days he hasn't thrown.

"I don't want to grind through the whole year of worrying about it," Kintzler said. "It's nice and calm and it'll be done before we know it."